Fears for up to 150 missing asylum seekers

Grave fears are held for as many as 150 asylum seekers missing in waters between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia.

Indonesian search and rescue teams were deployed to a site about 220 nautical miles from Christmas Island in the early hours of Wednesday after a distress call was issued from a boat carrying the asylum seekers to Australia.

But Gagah Prakoso, the head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency Basarnas, said teams deployed to the missing boat’s last known location had found no sign of the vessel.

“After hours of searching around the site where it’s said to be sunk, we found nothing. There’s no sign at all if the boat sank," Mr Prakoso told AAP.

“Usually when a boat sinks, there should be a sign, maybe one or two people may be floating using parts of the boat.

“But there’s nothing."

He said two helicopters deployed to search for the boat had since returned to base. Three ships sent to the site had also found no sign of the vessel.

The boat had contacted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) just after 1.30am (AEST).